Boston College is rejecting a recent call from the Vatican for Catholics to divest from companies and industries engaged in activities “harmful to human or social ecology” and the environment. The call appeared in a Vatican document released on the fifth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ papal encyclical calling for action against climate change, The Heights reports.
BC has a pattern of ignoring popular student referendums—in 2018, a non-binding referendum calling for BC to allow a student organization to distribute contraceptives on campus passed with 94 percent of the vote. BC rejected the referendum, citing the University’s Jesuit Catholic values.
BC also continues to reject student demands for an LGBTQ+ resource center, saying BC supports its LGBTQ+ students in other ways. In 2005, BC canceled a dance hosted by the new GLBTQ Leadership Council, saying it promoted a lifestyle conflicting with Catholic values.
It also calls for Catholic universities to lead with ‘responsible action’, divest from fossil fuels and decarbonizing energy. BC just purchased 3 diesel buses for its 2 routes in Newton – Main Campus to Law School; Main Campus to Chestnut Hill.
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/06/18/new-book-vatican-presses-practical-implications-laudato-si
The Vatican document is called “Journeying for the Care of the Common Home”
Technically, anyone who drives a non electric (assuming the electricity was not generated from fossil fuels) is harming the environment..
if you are going to draw a line, draw it where it really should be drawn…
Re the BC shuttle buses: If they didn’t exist, how many more cars (carrying BC students, faculty, staff who would otherwise ride the bus) would that put on Newton streets?
What do you want? Catholic institutions supporting your Marxist agenda? Catholic institutions must promote the teachings and morals of Jesus Christ the Son of God, and that’s it! Our Faith is not a democracy, can’t you get it?
Let’s get back to the topic at hand. Pope Francis is admonishing Catholics to divest from companies and industries “harmful to human and social ecology” and the environment. This includes climate change, but also a full range of other activities that are destroying the natural environment of this planet. Ambitious and long overdue.
As a proud alum, I’m disappointed. I won’t be donating until they reverse this stance.
Esstees – What do you mean EV shuttle buses don’t exist? The MBTA just ordered 5 for Boston. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and Worcester Regional Transit have been using them since 2016. Beverly, Amherst, Concord and Cambridge all have EV school buses.
The buses BC uses between the main and law campus are not little shuttles, they are full sized buses.
Um, basically everything we do seems to harm the environment- especially when multiplied by 7 billion. We are the virus, and the earth is trying to get rid of us.
>The buses BC uses between the main and law campus are not little shuttles, they are full sized buses.
Right. Hence my question: Maybe someday BC will switch to EV buses (perhaps they’re even considering doing so right now, for all we know). But if BC didn’t use *any* shuttle buses at all, how many more cars carrying BC students, etc., would there be on Newton streets?
The subject of the post is the Catholic Churches call to divest from harmful activity. The book specifically calls to ‘urgently’ address climate change.
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/06/18/new-book-vatican-presses-practical-implications-laudato-si
Some interesting projects and initiatives related to environmental/climate issues being undertaken by BC:
https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/bcnews/science-tech-and-health/earth-environment-and-sustainability/air-pollutions-interventions-report.html
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/science-tech-and-health/earth-environment-and-sustainability/up-in-the-air.html?cq_ck=1592413043948
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/campus-community/announcements/silver-in-sustainability.html
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/campus-community/honors/bc-recognized-for-sustainabilty-.html
Found the above links with just a quick search. Doesn’t mean BC couldn’t, and shouldn’t, do more vis-a-vis climate and environmental action, but not as if they’re doing nothing.